Asset Integrity Management

Research Opportunities

Research Opportunities

C-AIM offers various opportunities for student and researchers who have proven their academic and research prowess and would like to pursue master's degrees, doctoral degrees, or post-doctoral research. Funding for post-graduate studies and post-doctoral research is available on a competitive basis:

Master's degree studies: R(ZAR): 85 000/annum for two years

Doctoral degree studies: R(ZAR): 110 000/annum for three years

Post-doctoral research: ca.R(ZAR): 200 000/annum for approximately two years

C-AIM welcomes visiting researchers who would like to work in the centre during sabbatical leave periods. Visiting researchers will usually be funded by own institutions but will get access to world class facilities in an established research team, and participate in established or new research programmes.

Typical research foci currently include:

Identification of critical assets

Many companies operate a huge variety of assets with very diverse attributes. With limited recources it is imperative to focus on those assets that have the most significant impact on key performance indicators. C-AIM is currently very interested in aspects of the identification of critical assets.

Optimising of on-line condition monitoring and inspection techniques in turbogenerators and transformers.

Develop condition monitoring techniques for coal mills.

Condition monitoring of slurry pumps.

Diagnostics

Develop computational models for turbo-generator rotor and journal bearing dynamic behaviour. These models will be used to establish diagnostic and prognostic models for linking anomalies in the measured rotor response to developing faults which could be observed with existing standard instrumentation and sophisticated signal processing techniques.

New diagnostics methods for specialised problems such as slew bearings, or fluctuating load and speed gearboxes.

Prognostics

Development of statistics as well as physics based approaches to remaining useful life problems. Our interest spans from machine components to complex systems such as steam turbines.

Development of methods for establishing remaining useful life of piping systems.

Life cycle management

Development of criteria for establishing end of life of critical plant.